Nice to Meet You!

The first post for Cold Coffee, Hot Mess; so exciting! I am so glad you stopped by! I hope you come back again and again. More than anything, I hope that you find encouragement in the words I write and the pictures I post. Life isn't always cute anecdotes and perfectly curated pictures (nothing wrong with either of those things, I love and will post those things occasionally too, but I also want to include the not-so-pretty stuff). I want you to know that you're not the only one who accidentally poured breast milk down the sink because you're insanely exhausted since your nine month old STILL isn't sleeping through the night. And you're not the only one who broke a sweat getting your tantrum throwing toddler out of Target/Chick-fil-a/a bounce house and into the car with seven million strangers judging your parenting skills. AND you're not the only one doing the best you can to wear all the hats and do all the things for all the people. You're doing a great job girl, tomorrow is a new day, full of new mercies and grace. Now, (quietly, as to not wake the tiny ticking time bomb) go reheat your coffee and enjoy a little Q&A to get to know a little more about me!

What's your favorite food?

I love to eat all of the things. All of them. If I had to pick one I'd probably go with a cheeseburger. Or tacos. Or pizza. Or eggs. French toast makes the list too. I also really love a dark chocolate peanut butter cup. And just so I sound a tiny bit healthy, I really love roasted brussels sprouts.

Do you eat your kids snacks? What's your fav?

Yes, of course, who doesn't?! Animal crackers are like crack to me (not that I actually know what crack is like), but I was a huge fan of them long before my kids came into the picture. I definitely used to put some in my pockets as a to-go snack before I left the house as a teenager. Is that weird? #sorrynotsorry

What phrase gets repeated the most at your house?

"Mommy...bubba just hit me"/"Mommy...bubba knocked down my toys!"/"Mommmmyyyyyy!!"

Any hidden talents? A talent you wish you had?

Not necessarily a hidden talent, but I'm a pretty decent photographer and painter :) I'm also really good at pretending to listen to my 5 year old's never ending play by play description of a movie he watched or something he did. A talent I wish I had? Singing! It would be so fun to be able to sing well. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I really could be a great singer, I just haven't quite figured it out yet. Sounds legit, right?

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?

A nurse. A dancer. An artist. And a mom. Cheers to 2 out of 4 of those coming to fruition!

If you could live anywhere for a year where would it be?

Tuscany. Give me all the pasta and wine #ilovecarbs

How do you recharge?

I am an introvert (albeit an introvert who loves people), so I really love when I get to be alone. Especially when I get the house all to myself for a day or two. I also love downtime with my friends, date night with my man, or getting to go run errands by myself (Target by myself with no time limit = vacation).

Who was your favorite celebrity when you were young?

N'sync all the way. I was in love. My sixth grade self was in tears on the 4th row of their concert singing "God must have spent a little more time on youuuu" (complete with hand motions). I had the posters on my walls and all of the albums. And that Disney channel special?? Y'all. Obsessed.

What type of pets do you have?

We have 2 dogs - Alice and Romeo. They're real cute, but I will tell you that we would not have gotten dogs if we had kids first. Because when Romeo starts whining at me in the midst of the baby crying and the boys fighting over something, this mama wants to rip her hair out and open the gate for him to run free.

We also have chickens. I wish I could tell you how many, but I've honestly lost count. I can't really complain about them though because they provide us with eggs every day! And they're pretty funny to watch.

What would you tell your teenage self?

So many things! Stop worrying about what people think about you. You don't need boys to like you. Don't change things you like based on who you are spending time with. Just be you! Jesus won't love you any less or any more depending on what you do or how much you read your Bible or how much you pray or "witness" to people. Guilt is not from God. The truth is what God says about you regardless of how you feel. Oh...and stop plucking the heck out of your eyebrows!!

What's the best advice you've ever received?

I'll repeat the advice I'd give my teenage self....Truth is what God says regardless of how you feel (regardless of what anyone else says about you, regardless of whatever!)

What qualities do you look for and value in your friends?

I need people in my life who aren't afraid to be themselves. Openness, honesty, transparency, humor, gracious and compassionate to others. I also really love a friend I can drink wine and drop the occasional curse word with ;)

What goals have you set for yourself this year?

To own my dreams. To not be afraid to say what I want and how I'm feeling (in relationships and in big life ambition things). To be the type of friend I want to have. To make intentional time with my husband instead of just sitting on the couch and watching TV in all of our free time, and to make date night happen way more often than it currently does.

What's your pet peeve?

Incessant background noises like tapping and humming, or the ceiling fan ticking. I get really annoyed by mouth noises like gum smacking and chewing food loudly. CLOSE YOUR MOUTH.

What dreams have you had that you had to let go of, or realized they were no longer your dreams?

I was never a big dreamer to be honest. I don't know what that says about me... I know that may partly be due to some insecurity of those dreams not happening or not having what it takes/not being good enough. I feel like I am more of a dreamer now than I was in my "younger years". So I'm not letting go of those new dreams just yet ;) And I am very happy where my life has ended up as of now and that I am in a place to dream new dreams!

How do you take your coffee?

On a daily basis I drink it black. But I do love bulletproof coffee or a coconut milk latte.

Hopefully you stuck through those questions and feel like you know me a bit better! I'd love to hear your answers to some of these questions in the comments! Especially your pet peeves, because it is so funny to hear those. And I'll just hope I don't do any of the things y'all comment with ;)